Living with lung cancer - Introduce yourself & come say hi

Welcome to Connect, @woodedareas. I agree with @llwortman. You may wish to contact Mayo Clinic billing directly to find out if your care can be transferred from one campus to another. Here is the contact information for billing https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance/contact-us

You can also contact your care team through the Mayo patient portal, Online Patient Services https://onlineservices.mayoclinic.org/content/staticpatient/showpage/patientonline

Thanks that is a great recommendation.

Talk to Thorasics in Rochester. They can refer you to Arizona. I just heard the same story from a friend. They got in after we spoke!

I started with Dr Cassini in Rochester but chose to have my surgery in Chicago with my family nearby. I am now looking for a doctor in Arizona for the winter. Mayo in Scottsdale will not accept Medicare, unlike Rochester. Happy you are well. Thanks

Hi and congratulations on your surgery. I am a 12 year lung cancer survivor (never smoker diagnosed stage 1a)
I love my Mayo Thoracic team. Dr Steven Cassivi is brilliant and kind!
Try calling Kristin or Karen on his team directly to see if they will give you appointment(?) 5072842808.
If you prefer Pulmonology you may want to call Dr David Midthun.
My feeling is they are the best team and cal answer your questions and help you decide who you can see and where. Have your Mayo Clinic number when you call. The call is worth the wait. I’m happy to talk with you if you would like.
Best,
Linda Wortman

I just completed VAT surgery in Chicago for stage 1a lung cancer. I will have to report back in 3 months for a mother CAT scan. I am doing well now 3 weeks later. I would like to visit my home in Arizona but find that Mayo will not accept Medicare. I have been a patient in Rochester with no problem. Since this a Mayo website can someone tell me if I qualify for care at Mayo or if I should look elsewhere. Last year I tried 3 time for anappintment but was denied ar Scottsdale. Thanks

@hopeful33250 Thank you for inviting me to this post. @mcleslie- I welcomed you here this morning but we really didn't get into the nuts and bolts of lung cancer. I think that when I initially feel that I have an ache or pain I gloss over it too. I think that it's a a matter of self preservation, denial.
I'm curious to know what kind of radiation that your husband is having?

@mcleslie - I also welcome you to Mayo Clinic Connect. It's gut wrenching when you learn that your husband is ill. I almost lost my husband a couple of years ago to a bad virus. I know just what you mean when you say that life has been a blur. This is not an easy road. When I first was told that I had lung cancer 20+ years ago I don't think that I even could remember one test or scan from another. It was like someone put me on remote control while I walked around feeling sheer terror. I'm familiar with how the VA responds to medical problems and I must say that I'm impressed with the speediness that your husband has received treatment. What type of radiation is your husband receiving? What type of lung cancer does your husband have?

@mcleslie

I can certainly understand that a muscle strain in the upper back would certainly not lead you to think of lung cancer. I'm glad to hear that the tumor can be managed and reduced with radiation and that the steroids are helping the swelling. I'd like to invite @merpreb to this discussion as well. She is a volunteer mentor and has been dealing with lung cancer for a number of years. I'm sure she can add some perspective to your situation.

Do the doctors anticipate that your husband might need surgery at some point or will they wait and see how the radiation is working? Does he still have shortness of breath or has that improved?

What we thought was an on again off again muscle strain/knot in his upper back was likely warning pain. His Dad, who hadn't seen him in awhile said he looked flushed but he has always been an outdoor guy, we thought it was too much fishing. And now his most difficult symptom is fatigue and swelling of his face (we thought it was a sinus infection), shortness of breath. The tumor is pressing against an artery causing the swelling but steroids are helping and radiation should shrink the mass/tumor.